Day In, Day Out
by resistanceisuseless
Summary: Romance feat. Sam Carter from Architects. Annabelle, a girl who has nothing but wants everything meets a strange boy who's moved to town. She falls for him, but she's not sure whether he likes her too. How does he really feel?
1. First Meeting

Unsurprisingly, I had nothing planned this summer. Like normal, I'd probably spend it playing computer games and trying to motivate myself to do homework due in the first week of term. (I'd probably just end up playing the computer games.) There was only one word I could use to describe my life: routine. I seriously needed to get out and break this routine before it was too late, so I promised myself I'd find something to do. I'd asked my mom for some suggestions but thought to myself that I really shouldn't have bothered in the first place after the ridiculous things she came up with.

I stared out of the bedroom window, which overlooked a large patch of grass and a river, hoping to get some ideas. Where I lived was very quiet; it was a road which sat on the outskirts of a small town in England called Weston-super-Mare. The houses were recently built and I enjoyed living there with my mom and elder brother, Oliver.

My mom was the overprotective, uptight mom, who was easily stressed in the calmest of situations. My brother, however, was the complete opposite. He was the one to calm the arguments down – or in other words – take my mom's side and argue with me until I gave up.

Home life was hard, but I'd gotten used to it since dad left.

Still desperately trying to find ideas, I realised staring into space wasn't the answer.

As I went to leave and open up my laptop, I saw the guy who lived next door, unpacking a few things from a van that had just pulled up outside. He moved in just under a month ago but nearly every day he had things being delivered. From what I could see, he was tall, about 6 foot 1, and skinny with long natural blonde hair and maroon coloured eyes. I'd never spoken to him before because he seemed to keep to himself and only came out if he was going somewhere or unpacking. No-one seemed to visit him either, which kind of earned him sympathy.

Then it struck me and I figured what I was going to do this summer. I decided I was going to help people and earn myself some good karma. The guy seriously looked like he needed help, so what was the harm in assisting him?

I ran downstairs and out the front door before my mom or Oliver could ask me what I was doing, and casually walked over to the van. The guy was half way in the van, unpacking what looked like a very heavy box.

"Um... hey," I said. "Do you need any help?" With that, he jumped with surprise, dropped the box and I heard an ear-splitting crunch and splatter from whatever that was in it that was now broken.

"Shit." He muttered, and then he looked at me. I could see him much better up close; his maroon coloured eyes were really milky brown and his blonde hair was sticking up in all directions. I wasn't sure whether it was his bed head or he'd styled it like that. He wasn't really dressed for the occasion by wearing a pair of skinny jeans, Converse and a Drop Dead t-shirt but I couldn't complain; I was wearing close to the same.

"Oh crap, I'm so sorry." I squealed, which wasn't the way it was supposed to come out.

The guy just laughed, "Don't worry about it." He started to walk towards the house with the broken box and went into the kitchen. I stood on the porch, not sure what to do.

"Hey, you can come in, I'm not gonna bite you." He called from the kitchen. Nervously I stepped inside the house, which was quite tidy, and followed him into the kitchen.

"Between you and me," He said, "that stuff in the box is better off broken."

"What was it?" I asked. He lifted up one of the pieces and showed it to me, before throwing it in the recycling bin.

"A hideous moving away present my aunt gave me: a bone china set worth nothing, that she expected me to keep. So, thanks to you scaring me, I don't need to worry about them. Technically, I owe you."

"Tell you what, after we've finished unpacking, we'll go to Costa Coffee and you can buy me a drink."

"Sure thing, I could do with some help."

He smiled at me and passed me so he could get to the van where more boxes full of (hopefully) lighter stuff was packed neatly in the back. I followed him out and stood at the end of the van, ready to take some things inside. He leaned down and picked up a clear plastic bag and grimaced.

'That definitely wasn't there the last time I checked.'

'What _is _it?'

'I don't know but whatever it is it's way past its sell-by date.'

'That is grim.'

In the bottom of the bag he was holding up, there was some kind of food in a packet that had exploded which had been there for what looked like a long time and had started to go green. The bag he was holding up started to leak green waste and he quickly threw it out of his hands and into the road. I watched it fly through the air then looked back at the guy and he shrugged.

'I don't care where it goes but I am not touching that again,' He said as he picked up another box to give to me, 'this is a bit heavy but do you think you could carry it?'

'Sure. My secret talent is strength.' I replied sarcastically, taking the box inside quickly before my arms gave way and I broke more things of his. As I came back and out of the house to grab another box, I forgot that the bag full of green stuff was on the floor. Before I could do anything, I stepped on it at slipped on the floor, right on my backside.

'Whoa, are you okay?' the guy got out of the van and crouched next to me. He lifted me by the arms and managed to get me to my feet again but I winced in the agony that was being spread through my body.

'Yeah, I think I'm okay.' I could feel myself going bright red; why did I have to embarrassing myself every time I was with someone, _especially_ a guy?

'Nothing's broken, is it?' he asked, checking to make sure my ankle wasn't damaged or anything. I winced again and he seemed genuinely concerned about me.

'Nope,' I said, 'I think I'm okay. Don't worry about me, I always fall over or do something stupid.'

He shot me a sympathetic smile and sat me down at the end of the van after limping over. He picked up the bag and outstretched his arm so it was the furthest away from his nose as possible and dumped it in the bin that was near him.

I laughed and pointed at the bin, 'I thought you didn't want to touch that again.'

He shrugged. 'I don't anyone breaking their neck if they slip. It'll be my fault and I'll be screwed.'

He had a fair point. I mean, I wouldn't want to touch that stuff, but I suppose it would be okay to spend a couple of seconds touching that instead of a couple of hours in court. As I watched him go back into the van and unload another 5 boxes into the house, my phone started to ring. I looked at the caller name and sighed. It was mom. I took a deep breath and answered my phone.

'Hello? Yes. No. Mom I'm outside. I'm with the guy next door helping him unpack. Yes, mom. Okay, fine. Bye.' I put the phone down and he raised his eyebrows, catching the end of my conversation, 'don't worry, family troubles. My mom's too protective and my brother does my head in.'

'Ah.' He said, 'you gonna help me with these or are you gonna sit there and pretend you have a broken ankle?'

'Yeah, sorry.' I said, jumping off the side of the van and nabbing the box out of his hands.

He winked at me and laughed. 'I was joking, y'know. I just didn't want to ask about your family.'

I shrugged and shook my head, 'don't worry about it. You can ask whatever you want about anything; I have this thing where I open up to people really easily. I just want to be heard. God, I sound so depressing and needy.'

The guy laughed and flicked his hair, finally the bits sticking out were flattened; it was really started to get on my nerves. We finished unloading the van and he locked it up and grabbing his bag from the front.

Thinking about it, I hadn't even asked what his name was.

'Hey, call it late or whatever, but what's—'

'My name?' he suggested, putting his rucksack down and holding out his hand.

'Yeah, how did you know?'

He leaned in and whispered, 'I'm psychic.' Then he laughed and pulled away. 'Only joking, my name's Sam.'

'Hey, Sam. I'm Annabelle.'

'Well, it's nice to meet you, Annabelle. Now, how about that drink at Costa?'


	2. Getting to Know Each Other

We headed down to the nearest Costa Coffee which was situated in the heart of Weston, where nearly everyone would hang out. We drove, but Sam didn't take the van and instead he took his own car; a sweet Audi TT in white, absolutely spotless. It didn't take us long to find a space to park; today was a traditional English day where it was raining and if not that; overcast. We parked right by the door and made our way down to Costa to order drinks. We ran across to the coffee shop in the rain and both of us complained about the weather messing up our hair.

We arrived, ordered our drinks and I sat down by the window looking out onto the sea and with the pier in sight. It was foggy so all you could see were the bright lights that flashed different colours every now and again on the pier.

Sam was still over by the counter paying for the drinks and I glanced over at him. He'd changed into a different pair of skinnies and had a different t-shirt on. He turned to check if I was still there and smiled the warm smile you'd get from a best friend. I didn't have to wait long until he came over with our drinks.

Sam handed me my hot chocolate with marshmallows, cream and sprinkles and sat down with his own frappuccino.

'Okay?' he asked as he watched me take a sip of my drink. It felt good having a hot drink on a cold winter's day. I nodded and smiled when I lowered it. He snorted with laughter and looked away. I looked at him, confused.

'What?' I asked as he recovered from his sudden outburst. He lifted the napkin and wiped my top lip clean. 'Oh.'

'Yeah, you had a bit of cream on your lip. Don't worry, I've wiped it all off.' He smiled.

We sat in silence for a bit, just drinking and staring out of the window but I wanted to start a conversation so badly. I was really bad at making conversation with people, especially people I'd only just met. That was hard when you wanted to go into the music industry.

'I'm really bad at making conversation so I think it's better if you start.' I came clean about my awkwardness instantly and surprised myself. Sam looked at me startled, coming out of whatever daydream he was having. He put down his drink and spoke,

'Well, I'm just as bad as you. I honestly never know where to start when I talk about myself. So I'll just go with the basics: Hi, I'm Sam. I'm 18 and I've moved here to study at college. I'm in a band and I'm the lead singer. I can play guitar and drums and I'm into rock and metal. I'm pretty much a boring person to be honest. Your turn.'

He pretended to shoot from a gun and took a sip from his drink again. I sighed and started my lecture about my boring life,

'Well, I'm Annabelle. I'm 17 and I've started college. I'm doing Law, Music, Photography and Maths. I'm not in a band and I like rock and metal. I can sing and play guitar and I have a crappy life. I'm probably even more boring than you.'

Sam raised his eyebrows at me.

'What?' I asked, looking at him from over my drink.

'You're so negative about yourself. "I have a crappy life?" Jesus, girl... you don't know what you've got.'

I put my drink back on the table. '_I'm _negative? "I'm pretty much a boring person?" That's a bit rich.'

Sam smiled at me and laughed. 'Okay, maybe we're as bad as each other. You've gotta learn I'm a pessimist and anything I say or do will probably be pessimistic.'

'Fair enough. Maybe we're very alike then,' I decided to change the subject, 'so, you're in a band? What are you guys called?'

Sam pulled out his phone, checked it and then put it away, shoving it in his jacket's side pocket. 'We're called Architects. We used to be called Inharmonic then Counting the Days but we changed to Architects. We've been doing it for a few months. I'm not sure whether we'll make it in the industry though because we've got a lot of practice to catch up on.'

'What do you guys play? I mean what genre are you?'

'We play metalcore. We cover songs mostly but we write a load of songs ourselves.' He answered.

'That sounds awesome. How many of you are there?'

'Well it's me, Tom, Dan, Tim and Alex who make up the band. Tom plays guitar, Dan plays drums, Tim plays guitar too and Alex plays bass. Anyway, enough about my band and time for me to ask some questions about you.'

'Okay then. Ask me questions and I'll answer truthfully.'

'Well, for a start; tell me about your family.'

I froze.

I never told anyone about my family, especially not anyone like Sam where I barely knew him. But like I said to him earlier, I open up to people a lot. He saw my expression and kind of looked away guiltily.

'Oh, you don't need to say anything you don't want to.' Sam said, drinking. I shook my head.

'No, I'll tell you. I told you earlier, I open up to people.'

'Yes, but that's not always a good thing.'

'But I can trust you, right?'

'Sure you can.'

'Okay then. Well, I had a hard life. My dad left me when I was young leaving mom to look after me and my older brother. For years I've been trying to fulfil my dream of being in a band but my mom stopped me because she thinks it's a "waste of time". I always argue with my mom and brother and he always takes her side. And I've... I've...'

'What?' Sam went to put his hand on mine but pulled himself away.

'I've been diagnosed with depression.' I said it so fast I don't think Sam even heard it. He looked at me like I'd just said to him I'd had pop tarts for breakfast. 'Did you hear what I said?'

'Yes, I heard what you said. I'm so sorry.'

'No, don't worry about it because I don't want sympathy. It's not gonna be "poor old Annabelle's got a mental problem, let's all be nice" anymore.'

Sam looked away awkwardly and drank more of his frappuccino to look busy. I felt bad; I'd only known him for a bit and I'd already been horrible towards him.

'Sorry,' I whispered, 'I didn't mean to talk like that. It's just I'm not used to people giving me sympathy. It's always people giving me a hard time. I just want to live the dream and get away from everything.'

Only then did Sam put his hand on mine. My hands looked tiny compared to his but I grabbed hold of his hand and squeezed... really hard.

'Ow. Hey, let go you're gonna crush my hand.' He laughed but winced in pain at the same time.

'Oh my god, I'm sorry.' I said, abruptly letting go. He rubbed his hand and smiled at me again. I gulped the last of my drink which was now as cold as anything and threw the cup in the bin behind me. Sam finished his and gave me the cup, asking to throw that in the bin too.

'Yes, boss.' I joked, taking it from him.

He stood up and led me out of the door and back to his car. He opened the door for me and I got in. As I put my seatbelt on, he flung himself into the driver's seat and started the engine. He glanced in the mirror and checked his hair, flicking it back into the position it was like before the wind ruined it.

'You're such a girl, checking your hair.' I said, raising an eyebrow at him.

'I like to keep myself looking good. Don't you think I'm good looking?' He said cockily, winking at me.

'No, you're ugly, let's go.' He looked upset but I could see it he was only joking. 'I'm joking, Sam. But can we go? Seriously, the weather is getting me down.'

As we drove home, the weather got worse and the rain fell harder. I started to get worried then; the rain falling so hard even the drains couldn't keep the roads safe. The wind was blowing faster

'Sam, I think we should stop. The water's going to flood the engine anytime soon. Sam, stop!' I shouted.

Sam was suddenly aware of what was going on and pressed the brake pedal. We halted to a stop and my heart was beating so fast I almost couldn't breathe.

'Jesus Christ, Sam.' I said in between breaths.

'Sorry, I was daydreaming and I switched off from everything.' He argued.

The wind blew harder and I could hear the whistling whipping round the car. I started to get scared now. We were driving through the hills and were near the edge of a cliff with trees surrounding us. Sam breathed as heavily as me and ruffled his hair.

'That was close.' I finally said, relieved but then— 'Sam! Look out!'

A tree that had been swaying in the wind had snapped and was starting to topple over right on top of the car. Sam started the car and sped back, luckily missing us by inches. We both sighed and leaned back. Why me?


	3. Stuck In the Middle of Nowhere

The tree lay in the middle of the road, which meant there was no way of getting out of here without leaving the car. I started panicking again and I was restless, something I hadn't been for a while. Sam tried to calm me down by talking to me quietly but the noises from outside were taking over.

I had this thing about being outside for too long and I start to hyperventilate and panic. Okay, I admit it, I was scared.

'Annabelle, please calm down.' Sam whispered in my ear. Without me noticing he'd grabbed hold of my hand. Surprisingly, it was soothing me and my heart rate slowed down and I managed to get back to breathing normally.

'Are you okay?' he asked, looking worried.

'I... I think I'm okay... a bit shaken but I'll recover.' I closed in on myself and curled into a ball on the front seat in a desperate attempt to keep myself warm. Sam saw and leaned over to the back of the car and pulled out one of these 'Drop Dead' hoodies and wrapped it round me. I managed to stutter a 'thanks' and he nodded.

'Don't mention it. You look ill, are you sure you're okay?'

'I... I have a problem with being outside. I don't know why, I just panic easily when I'm stranded. I think... I think...'

'What?'

'I think it's because of what happened ages ago.' I said, 'but I don't wanna talk about that yet.'

Sam pulled out his phone and tried to call Tom who was in hanging around in Weston but it went straight to answer phone.

'Dammit.' He said, 'No signal. This is just what I need, I have band practice in a few hours and I can't afford to miss another one.'

I stared out of the window. I don't know why because there wasn't much to see except rain, lightening and trees swaying in the strong breeze. I looked back at Sam who was getting frustrated, constantly trying his phone to see if something magical happened like we suddenly got a signal. He pressed his palm against his head, closing his eyes then slammed his hand against the steering wheel. I jumped at the sound that it made.

'Jesus, Sam. Are you okay?' I asked, getting worried. I barely knew him and yet here I was in the same car with him after a drink and now he was getting violent.

'I'm fine, just frustrated. I really needed to go to this band practice and if I miss it, they'll throw me out.'

'They won't do that.' I tried to reassure him but he wasn't taking any of it.

'I'm useless. I'm useless,' he kept repeating to himself.

'No you're not—'

'Yes I am!' he yelled, throwing his phone in the compartment in the side.

'Sam, this wasn't your fault. You're not useless, and you can't help it. Sam, please calm down because you're scaring me.'

Sam looked at me and sighed, 'sorry, I have anger problems.'

'You could've told me that before I invited you for coffee.'

Sam looked at me and frowned. I laughed in an attempt to calm myself again.

'It's a joke; I would've gone with you anyway. But please, calm down, okay?'

'I'm calm.' He said to me, repeating it to himself so he could believe it. I looked at him with a blank expression and waited for him to say something. He turned his head and looked at me, his eyes were deep and blue and... captivating. I'd never looked into them before but now I was staring into them, it was hard for me to look away.

We both looked away in embarrassment and Sam picked up his phone again, trying Tom a few more times, then trying Dan but no-one picked up. I looked at my phone, to see if I had any signal... no luck.

'What are we going to do?' I asked Sam, hoping that he was going to know.

'I don't know. I guess we wait.' I opened my mouth in disbelief when the words came out.

'Wait? For what? We have nothing to wait for. What are we waiting for—'

'I don't know! I just told you, I have no idea. I guess we wait for someone to come along. Or we wait for the storm to blow over.' Sam said, throwing his phone back beside him and running his hands through his hair. I started to breathe heavily again and it was so cold I could see my breath in the air.

I stared out of the window again, 'it doesn't look like this storm's going to blow over anytime soon.'

Sam just sat there behind the wheel and stared out onto the road where the tree was still thrown onto the road, blocking any people from coming or going. No-one ever drove through this road so it would be a very long time before anyone came but it looked like that was the only thing we could do. I kept looking back from the scenery to Sam, who was still just sat there not making any effort to talk or try and reverse the way we came.

When I sneezed, he nearly jumped out of his skin. He glared at me and I smiled weakly. I sank lower in my seat and lifted my legs up, my converse having no grip and sliding off the edge of the seat. I groaned and tried to get comfortable by facing the window; we were going to be here a while.

'Lie in the back if you want to sleep, I don't mind.' Sam said, lowering the tone of his voice. He was occupied with something but I couldn't see.

'You sure?' I mumbled.

'Yeah, just move the coats on the floor.' He replied, lifting his head as I rolled over to climb into the backseat. He was messing around with his phone but had given up calling people. I climbed into the back of the car, careful not to stand on anything and gently put a thick coat, a pair of skinnies and hoodie on the floor. I wrapped the Drop Dead hoodie around me and led down on the seats. Sam turned and looked at me, looking up and down at me and I raised my eyebrow at him.

'Yes?' I asked, as he smirked.

'Nothing, I just wanted to see if you were okay.' He said. He looked down and picked up the red hoodie that I'd put on the floor, folded it into a neat square and leaned over to me. As his body stretched to lean over to my head, his shirt dangled below him, it looked way too big for him. I inhaled his smell and he smelt like Lynx. I didn't know which fragrance but it was definitely some kind of Lynx.

'Lift your head,' he said and I did as I was told. With the way he'd reacted, I was in no position to ignore what he told me to do. He placed the hoodie underneath my head and used it as a pillow.

'Thanks, Sam' I said and he smiled and instead of returning to the driver's side, he sat in the back with me.

'Move your legs,' he said and he sat at the end and I went from lying down to sitting up and leaning in the corner. I looked at him and shivered because I was so cold but he didn't shake once.

I didn't want to keep the awkward situation going so I tried to start a conversation.

'So... urm... what's with all this Drop Dead clothing?' I said. Sam looked down at the Drop Dead t-shirt he was wearing and smiled.

'My best friend Oli started up a clothing line and he'd produced all these smokin' shirts and he wants the band to wear the clothes so it becomes popular. He's a veggie, so a load of his stuff says things like "meat sucks" but you get the idea. He's in a band too.'

'What are they called?'

'Bring Me the Horizon.'

Sam smiled and glanced out of the window, it obviously sparked a memory. I tried to sleep all the stress off but it just wasn't working. My brain was too hyperactive and I was too awake.

'This is no good.' I complained to Sam. It turned out that he had passed out. I looked at him and he was slouched on the seat, mouth openly and snoring softly. I pulled one of the jackets from the floor and threw it over him to make sure he didn't freeze to death.

Then, naturally, I curled up next to him and leaned into him, my head resting on his shoulder. If a hoodie wasn't going to keep we warm, then his body heat would.

I sniffed and looked at my phone to check the time.

3:00pm.

Oh Christ, my mom would kill me when I get back... if I get back.

I decided there was nothing else I could do except wait so I tried to get some sleep. I pulled myself further underneath the blankets and closed my eyes. I managed to get about an hour of sleep before I woke up.

Now I'd have to spend the next god knows how long stuck in a car with someone I barely knew while we waited for someone to turn up so they could help us.


	4. Nightmare

I stirred and woke up, feeling numbness in my legs I hadn't felt a minute ago. It tried to sit up and as I did, a blanket fell off of me; one that I hadn't been wearing in the car. Thinking about it, I wasn't even in the car anymore. I was back home in the living room in the corner. And the blanket was my pink ones with rabbits dotted all over it; the blanket I'd had since I'd been born.

I looked around the room and it was dark, dreary and bleak. It was like all colours had been drained from my eyes, everything was different shades of grey and then I saw two bodies on the other side of the room with another body standing beside them, trying to interfere with whatever was going on. For some reason I couldn't completely see who the three figures were and their bodies were blurred.

I saw that one body was on top of the second one, and his arm was moving up and down. It was like it was punching the other person... oh god. The body was much larger than the other one, broad and the build of a man; the other with curves and long wavy hair.

I glanced at the body that was slowing backing away and it was tall and lanky, skinny with long dark hair. The larger body was continuing to punch the other person as she screamed and repeated to yell 'stop' and him but e wouldn't. The skinny body was moving forward to stop him and he grabbed his arm but the body that was on top of the woman pushed him away and struck him across the face. He stumbled and pulled away.

Then the body leaned over and looked like it was facing me. It was like the blackness of his body was getting darker and more terrifying. My heart started beating faster and I started to panic.

I pulled myself into the corner hoping to just disappear and leave this house. The body got up from leaning over the woman who tried to pull him away but he threw her off. He started walking toward me and I felt useless; like I was back in my 12 year old body again. I crawled into the corner and pulled my blanket up to my neck but when the body approached me he yanked it away and got scissors to it. I watched it being shredded into tiny pieces, eyes filling with tears.

Then he moved closer so his face was inches from mine, breath on my face and the stench of alcohol and drugs wafted towards me. I prayed in my head that he would leave me alone but he didn't.

I breathed even more heavily and I knew there was no escape so I sat there and endured the pain. He struck me across my face, and punched me until I was black and blue. He told me not to cry and then he took a blade and slashed my stomach but not enough to make too much damage. I carried on crying after he stormed out and slammed the front door. I sat there, pressing my wounds to stop the bleeding.

_No no no no..._

'No!' I screamed. I awakened and I was back in the car again clutching the blanket that had slipped on the floor. I shot up as fast as a bullet, my eyes wide and I looked around quickly, to make sure it was a dream and nothing had actually happened.

'Annabelle, are you okay?' Sam's sudden outburst made me jump and I turned round just to make sure it was him... don't know why though.

'I... I... I...' I just couldn't speak. The shock of the dream really affected me and I just felt like I didn't have a voice. Sam looked at me, eyes filled with concern and worry. I stared deeply into them and we both managed to keep eye contact.

'Hey, it's okay. What was it? A bad dream?' he asked, rubbing my arm to try and calm me down.

'A flashback,' I said to myself, staring at the back of one of the leather seats.

'What do you mean a flashback? What was it about?' Sam was giving the impression he was really desperate to know but I didn't want to say anything to him.

But it was too late.

'It... it was a flashback from my past. From... from when...' I found it hard to get the words out, and my lungs closed up and I choked.

'From when?' Now, Sam had moved closer, wrapping his arm round my shoulder and trying to get it out of me.

'From when my dad came home one night and abused us all. He...' I choked but I was determined to finish my sentence, 'he beat up my mom in the kitchen and when my brother tried to stop, he pushed him back and gave him a black eye. Then he came over and started to beat me up. He pulled out a knife and slashed my stomach. I still have the scar.'

I lifted my t-shirt to show him the scar I had that stretched from one side of my stomach to the other. I pulled out a piece of cloth from my pocket, the only piece that was left of my blanket I once had until my dad had ripped it apart... along with my life.

'This cloth was what was left of the blanket I had since I was a child. He ripped it up right in front of me when he attacked me. He stank of beer and drugs.' I continued, stuffing the cloth back into my back pocket of my jeans. Sam seemed shocked by the story but didn't fail to try and comfort me.

'That's fucking disgusting. It's awful. Is that why you're such a panicky person?'

Unable to speak, I nodded and started crying again. Sam leaned his head on my shoulder and I leaned my head on his head. To be honest, I wanted to stay there and not move.

'It's okay, it's gonna be okay, I promise.' He repeated.

And then suddenly everything felt okay. Like I was going to be fine, like this storm was going to stop and I'd go back home without having to move again in case my dad found us again.


	5. History of Violence

As usual, no-one even came past or even remotely close to the path that Sam and I had taken. We were alone and there was nothing we could do. Because the storm was so badly, the car refused to start so we were stranded in a car freezing our asses off and a storm that could kill us at any moment. Thinking about it made me panic more... which wasn't very hard.

I stayed in the position and lay on Sam until he pulled away; which he didn't.

'That's such an awful thing that happened. Jesus, I genuinely feel sorry for you.' Sam said. He was so still, I thought he had fallen asleep.

'Thanks, Sam but I don't want sympathy. My mom and my brother haven't spoken about it since. He's in jail, but he got out.'

Sam sat up straight. 'Wait, what?'

I faced him and repeated what I said, 'he's in jail. We went to the police and told him what he did. He was found guilty and they threw him in jail. But he got out. He escapes and he's on the run but he's after us. That's why we have to constantly move. I never made any close friends in school because I knew I had to leave them sooner or later.'

'How can you deal with this? Like, how can you just get on with life knowing your dad could turn the corner and kill you at any minute?' Sam looked at me but discussing the subject made me look away.

'I just... I guess I do get on with life I suppose. It's something that I have to live with. I can't spend my whole life pretending everything's okay and like my life's not in danger.' I replied to him and he nodded in understanding.

'Yeah but you shouldn't be putting up with that sort of stuff. You should feel safe and not have to worry about anything.' Sam argued.

'Stay with me then.'

_What did I just say?_

Even the words shocked me and it affected Sam and I could see. He looked at me quickly and kept his eyes on me, and looked like they were filling with tears.

'I... I didn't... Are you okay?' I said, trying to find a way of filling the silence but trying to say it right. Sam looked away and took a deep breath.

'I'm fine it's just that no-one's ever spoken to me like that before. I'm kind of a loner really.'

'Why? You can't be a loner; you're in a band. You'd have people all over you right now if it wasn't for me taking you away like that.'

'Wait what? Are you pinning this on yourself? You can't pin all over this on you; it's not your fault!' Sam pulled me toward him and looked me straight in my eyes. 'This is not. Your. Fault.'

I nodded to avoid any more arguments and turned away. The lightening had finally stopped and it was sort of lightening up but it was still pouring with rain and it hit the car loudly. I nearly jumped at every sound of the hail stones falling and hitting the car. If they got any worse, it would look like Sam had some paintwork to be sorting out. The temperature had gotten a bit warmer since I'd woken up but I was still cold.

'Okay I've said enough already. It's time that you spilt the beans.' I said. I put my back against the door and lifted my feet up onto the seat. Sam didn't look like he minded and he shirted in the same position so he was facing me.

'Well... I... There's nothing to say about me really. You know everything.'

'Oh come on,' I scoffed, 'there has to be something about you. You couldn't have told me everything about you within a couple of hours.'

Sam looked at me and sighed, 'you want to know everything about me? Really? Because it's boring and I have nothing to say really.'

'Spill it, urrm... what's your last name?'

'Carter.'

'Spill it, Carter.'

Sam fidgeted a bit but seemed to get comfortable after. 'Well, parents divorced and I moved from place to place and finally settled here. Bullied at school for being intelligent, and was beaten up numerous times. I had a problem with self-harm and nearly killed myself. Then I moved out and moved here. That's it.'

I felt bad after he told it to me. It was like I forced it out of him and he didn't want to tell anyone the stories... but now he had and it was to a person he barely knew.

'Don't tell anyone, okay? Because I don't want any of it out. The amount of people that will hate me for it and I'll lose the band—'

'I won't. I'm sorry for forcing it out of you and I'm sorry you had to tell a person you barely knew.'

'Well, it's not like a barely know you. I know you quite well now actually.' Sam smirked and turned away, checking his phone again. I smiled and looked at him, his blonde hair falling over his face so I couldn't see him.

He smiled that really cute smile, where nothing else looked cute but him. Not even a kitten. He lifted his head and his hair fell back into that perfect position where every strand of hair was where it should be and looked at me. I blushed and looked away.

_No you don't Annabelle. You are not going to fall for him. The one good friend you've gained and you can't fall for him._

When I glanced back quickly, he was still looking at me and I stared back.

'What?' I asked.

'Oh... nothing. You just look... you looked nice. I know it sounds weird but when you were sleeping your hair was getting all messed up and—'

'Have you been watching me sleep?'

'Well I did wake up before you and there was nothing else to do.'

I stared at him, bewildered and then Sam eyes widened and filled with panic.

'Anna. Don't. Move.'

A fat-ass spider was hanging from its web and had landed on my shoulder. Ewww.


	6. Fall for You

I had a really bad phobia of spiders and this was no different. I hated the way they ran where all their legs sprawled out in different directions and just... oh my god it was disgusting. I froze on the spot and didn't attempt to move no matter how close it was.

'Sam, get it off me!' I squealed as Sam grabbed a book from the pocket on the back of the seat. 'And don't hit me!'

Sam leaned forward and braced himself ready for lunging for the spider.

'Don't move because if you do, I will end up hitting you.'

'Okay then but if you give me a black eye, I'm suing.'

Sam leaned further, so close to me I could feel his breath on my neck as I leaned away from the spider, still breathing heavily and panicking. Then suddenly, Sam smashed the book against the window and squashed the spider but looking at me. When he smashed the spider, his muscles flexed and tightened his shirt.

He looked at me, our faces inches apart, staring into each other's eyes. He kept a straight face and pulled the book away, crushed spider plastered over the window.

We didn't say anything to each other for a while and Sam just got a tissue and cleaned up the mess. Then he stopped and looked at me again, this time his face was closer. I didn't back away so instead I just stared at him. I was intimidated by him, his body was on top of mine and there was definitely no way I could get away from him. It wasn't like I wanted to but...

_Oh Christ you've gotta stop talking like this! You barely know him and you're talking like this. Just stop it._ I thought to myself. I couldn't be feeling like this towards someone when I'd only known him for a few hours. I had to stop.

But my train of thought was interrupted when the urge to kiss him was too much and we both gave him. He was inches away from me, his breath on my neck, his eyes filled with desire and his hair falling in all directions.

I grabbed his t-shirt and pulled him closer, and he crawled on top of me as I leaned against the window. He didn't pull away, and when our lips collided, I was completely blown away. As we kissed, his smiled slightly and he became more comfortable. I pushed against him and he fell backwards onto the seat and I clambered onto him. He tangled his fingers in my hair and kissed me more violently.

'Sam...' I mumbled in between kisses. I threw the blanket on the floor that was separating our bodies.

'Mm?' he whispered, the deep tone in his voice becoming clearer again. I yanked at his shirt and he rose, putting down the hood on his jacket so I could see his face better.

We were in the middle of the seats now, kissing like nothing around us was happening except from the gentle breeze. I pulled at his t-shirt again; sliding my hand under it and my god... did he have muscles. I could feel him breathing and his stomach was hard; he clearly worked out a lot. Sam pulled his arms back in an attempt to take off his hoodie and threw it on the floor. I slid my hands up his chest and curled my fingers around his neck, my hands underneath his hair. I move so I was closer to him and he responded by curling his hands around my waist, pulling me onto his lap.

I yanked his t-shirt and started to pull it up over his head until Sam pulled away and shook his head.

'I'm not having sex in the car.' He said bluntly.

'Ruin the moment,' I said, pulling the shirt back over his body. 'Why not?'

'Maybe,' he started sarcastically but I glared at him with my arms crossed, expecting a serious reply, 'maybe because it's my car, and I've only just met you. I'm just not going to.'

I pulled away from him and slumped back into my seat, sulking. 'Killjoy.'

'Hey,' he said, poking me in the stomach, 'I'm sorry I'm not as horny as you.'

I glared at him and he winked at me and my heart melted. He was gorgeous. He smiled at me and sank back into his seat far away from me. I curled back up in a ball and suddenly it got colder.

'Don't act all like that now.' Sam said. I realised he'd been staring at me since I'd pulled away.

'Act like what?'

'You know exactly what I mean.'

'Fine, I won't. But what are we going to do now?'

Sam started getting agitated again, and he tried his phone but no-one picked up. 'The only thing I can suggest is we try and make our way through the storm.'

'And leave the car? Are you insane? We'll die, Sam!' I protested but he was already making his way to the front seat to get out. I tried to pull him back but he shrugged me off and got out of the car. The wind whipped through his hair and it had already started to get him wet.

'Sam! Get back in the car now!' I shouted, hanging out of the window. 'Sam for crying out loud, get back in the car.'

He turned around and looked at me; his hair so wet it was dripping and his t-shirt was sticking to his body. My hair started to get wet, and the rain got heavier; I couldn't believe he was going to attempt to get home in this weather.

He started walking up the hill in the rain, and he looked like he was going to kill someone. His jeans stuck to his legs and I could hear his shoes squelch every time he made a step.

'Sam! Are you just going to leave your car here?' I shouted to him but he carried on walking.

'I'll come back for it.' he shouted back.

I sighed and ran after him.

There was no way I was staying in the car soaking wet on my own and the only choice I had was Sam.

And I didn't want to leave him.


	7. Safer to Hate Her

'Sam come back now!' I yelled at him. I sounded so much like a mother telling their child not to run off. He ignored me and carried on walking in the rain. The wind pushed me back but I was determined to get to him. Most of the journey was uphill so it was tiring but Sam made it look easy.

'Sam!' I continuously shouted at him but he ignored me completely. When I finally caught up with him, I was at the top of the hill and we were overlooking the town. I grabbed his arm and he span round and kissed me.

My body no longer tensed and my shoulders sagged as he held me by my arms. He held onto my wrists and leaned down to kiss me.

'Sam,' I said, 'we have to go back.'

'No. I want to stay here.' He declared, as his hair dripped with water. It dripped from his to mine and we were both wet. Kissing in the rain was one thing I wanted to do before I died and I was standing here with Sam, a guy I'd only met for a few hours, kissing him while our bodies were soaked in the rain.

'I can't.' Sam said as he pulled away. He started to walk away but he stopped mid-step.

'Why?' I asked confused. Sam spun round and walked back towards me and took his hands in mine.

'Because... because I can't, okay? I can't be with you and we can't carry on like this. I... I hate to do it but I have to hate you.'

I stared at him in disbelief, utterly confused.

'W—what? Why?'

Sam looked away, and his hair continued to drip. His muscles flexed and he played with his t-shirt. It was thin so I could see through his shirt... and... _mmmm... oh shut up._

'Why, Sam?'

'Because... because... it's safer to hate you.'

I'd never heard something so ridiculous in my life. I went to say something but Sam pressed his finger to my lips. Then his phone started ringing and he jumped with excitement. He looked at the caller ID and sighed with relief. He picked up and started talking fast.

'Hey Dan, yes it's me. I'm sorry I'm late but please just listen because I don't know how long I've got. Dan just shut up a minute. Yes okay, I know you're mad but—'

Sam was cut off from the other end of the line by Dan's yelling and then Sam's sudden outburst made me jump,

'DAN SHUT THE FUCK UP! I'm stranded in the middle of nowhere with a girl and I need picking up. The car's stuck and there's no way of getting out and this storm is getting worse. Please Dan, save the arguments for later. My girl needs to get home.'

_My girl?_

I smiled at that for some reason and I slid my hand to entwine with his. He didn't grasp my hand because he was too busy on the phone but he didn't pull away.

'Okay, fine Dan. I don't give a shit but please just fucking get here now.' Sam put down the phone and turned to me. 'I'm sorry.'

I squeezed his hand, 'for what?'

'Just... I'm just sorry, okay?'

I was really damn confused. 'Why do you have to hate me?'

Sam dropped his hands to his sides.

'Because I can't love anyone. If I end up loving someone, I forget about everything else and I screw my whole life up. That's what happened with my other girlfriend; I loved her but then I forgot about everything I already had.'

I went to hold out my hand to grab Sam but I stopped myself. At least when I got back home I had other things to concentrate on than trying to convince someone who was basically leading me on.

'I want to go home.' I moaned, and that was the first time I'd ever said something like that. Right now, I couldn't bear staying out here any longer in the rain and I was panicking in case something terrible happened.

Like now.

'Oh my god Anna, look out!' I turned around and saw a tree was starting to sway violently in the wind and at the bottom of the trunk of the tree, it snapped and started to sway even faster now and it was unstable.

Sam went to grab me to drag me away but it was too late. The tree only just missed my torso by inches but the next thing I knew was that I was on the floor and my leg was stuck under the trunk.

Then, the pain exploded through my body and looking at the sight of my crushed leg under the tree made me heave. It was so painful and so excruciating; I wanted to die right then. Sam still had hold of my wrist but he let go when he saw what happened.

'Oh my god, I'm gonna call an ambulance.' Sam said. He let go of my hand and went back to stand in the same position he'd used when he'd been speaking to Dan. I ignored what he was saying because it wasn't important and I was more focused on my leg.

It was bleeding quickly, the blood dripping from my leg and onto the grass and it didn't look like it was going to stop. I could feel my leg go dumb which wasn't so much of a bad thing though I could somehow still feel the pain. I went pale and I felt like I was going to pass out at any moment. I turned to Sam who was on his way back now.

'An ambulance is going to be here as fast as possible. Just hang in there; it's gonna be okay.'

He rubbed my arm and I fell into his embrace. Even though we were both wet, I felt warm and I tried not to pass out but I couldn't help it. All I heard before I fainted was the faint sound of sirens approaching...


	8. From the Wreckage We Rise

I woke up to a blinding light and people looking over me like I was some kind animal in a cage. I heard talking but I couldn't make out any words, and I blinked, trying to get used to the light. I felt numb and when I stretched to sit up, my leg was in a cast and nurses surrounded me. Sat at the end of the bed were my mom, brother and Sam who looked pale and anaemic. The shock of pain shot through me from my leg and I winced in pain. The nurse gave me morphine which took a while; I hated needles. When she left the room, my mom got ready to argue with me.

She got up from her seat and made her way over to one that was near my bed. She placed her hand on mine and sighed.

'Anna, how are you feeling?' she asked. I looked over at Sam who averted his eyes and looked at the floor. I turned back to mom who looked deeply into my eyes. I knew she felt sorry for me, but there was someone inside of her that was nagging her to yell at me.

'I think I'm okay. It still hurts but the nurse gave me morphine so I think I should be okay.' I answered. My mom nodded and pulled away, walking out of the door and shouting back, 'I'm going to get coffee.'

This time, Oliver can over to me but just sat stiffly in the chair mom was sat in and didn't hold my hand or even look at me.

'How are you feeling?' he asked just like mom did.

_Had he not heard what I said a minute ago?_

'My leg's in a cast, broken, and I'm in excruciating pain. How would you feel?'

Sam laughed at my response and I glared at him, then covering the laugh up with a cough.

'I love how you're all nice to your mom then you have a complete different reaction to your brother.'

'Shut up, Sam.'

'Sorry.'

I looked back at Oliver and he was looking in my direction but didn't meet my eyes.

'Nice to know you're still the bitchy sister even when you have got your leg in a cast.' He said.

'I love you too.' I replied sarcastically.

The nurse came in with a clipboard and greeted us, telling me the consequences of the—wait, how long ago did it happen?

'Annabelle Longworth, yes?' the nurse asked, glancing quickly down at the clipboard then staring back at me with bright blue eyes.

I nodded.

'Well, you seem to be in good condition at the moment and if you carry on like this, you should be home in a couple of days. But your leg will still be in a cast so you'll have to stay at home and someone will you after you. Do you still live with your mother?'

I nodded again.

_Not in the mood for talking,_ my brain confirmed and I looked at Sam who was on his phone... again.

'Well, you can stay at home and—'

'That might be a problem.' I interrupted and the nurse stared at me blankly. 'Why?'

'Well, my mom works a lot at the moment and my brother is off to Uni in a few days so no-one will be able to look after me 24/7.' I explained.

The nurse looked around nervously and then back at me. 'Well, I'm not sure what you could do—'

'I'll look after her.' Sam piped up. The nurse glared at him; she was getting annoyed with people interrupting her and it was starting to show.

'What?'

'I'll look after you. You can stay at mine. I'll only be going out for band practice 4 times a week for a couple of hours; will she be fine on her own for that long?' Sam asked the nurse who nodded, afraid that if she spoke, she'd get interrupted again.

She looked at me once more before leaving the room, closely followed by my brother who'd happily used it as a cue to leave me alone with Sam. He got up and stood by my side, standing instead of sitting down next to me.

'Thanks, Sam.' I said.

'It's okay. I knew you wouldn't want to stay at home after what you told me.' Sam replied, taking hold of my hand. He pulled my hand to his lips and kissed them. I blushed and quickly looked away to avoid embarrassment but Sam knew I was going bright red when he took his other hand and touched my chin, making me face him. He kissed me lightly, our lips only just touching then he pulled away to say something,

'You're mom didn't yell at you because I explained to her the situation when we were trapped.' I went to hug him but I could only go so far until I started to feel the pain in my leg.

'Whoa, don't move.' Sam pushed me back onto the bed where he sat with me for ages.

I only saw my mom a few times before I was let out of the hospital earlier that day. Sam helped me out of his car that he'd managed to retrieve from the wreckage the weather had made earlier, undamaged. He carried me into his house and took me upstairs, placing me on his doubled bed that looked more like a double double bed.

'Want me to stay?' he asked as he dragged my suitcases my mom and brother had packed into the room.

'If you're okay with it.' he said and before I could even get a reply, he sat next to me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. I hid into his chest, wanting to sleep but I couldn't. I wrapped my arms around his waist and smiled.

'Sam; I love you.'

The words came out of my mouth before I could stop myself. Sam hesitated and I looked up at him. He smiled at me but couldn't bring himself to say it back.

I sighed and pulled away from Sam's warm embrace, exposing myself to the cold wind that was invading the room. The window was open and the rain was still pouring and I felt colder than ever.

'What?' Sam asked, confused.

'You can't say it because you're leading me on, Sam. You can't say it back but I know you feel it. Or am I wrong? What do you feel?'

Sam faltered and looked away abruptly, shying away from me. 'I... I don't want to say it in case I end up feeling like I'll regret it. Don't push me towards loving you... because... I know I do but—'

'But what?'

'But...' Sam looked at me and smirked. I stared at him and then suddenly my lips were against his. When he pulled away, he was beaming, and I considered for a minute that he was literally glowing.

He leaned in like he did when he squashed the spider (_lovely memory..._) and whispered in my ear 'I love you too.'

Sam got up and kicked the door shut with his feet.

I fell asleep that night in his hold, hoping and praying that it wouldn't be long until my cast could be removed and I could finally...

_Shut up and go to sleep._


	9. Recovery

It took me months before I was back on my own two feet. I felt sorry for Sam, having to look after me constantly. It stopped him from doing what he wanted and I started to feel bad. He told me not to worry but I knew he was frustrated inside. I couldn't help how I felt about him; I knew it sounded stupid, falling for a guy who I'd only just met but maybe this was the thing I needed like I said before; maybe it was good karma. After all the crap I'd been through, I felt I deserved to be looking forward to something.

Not that my education wasn't something to look forward to; with my music diploma and everything else. I just felt like this was right, and I wouldn't let my past get in my way again like before.

Anyway, my relationship with Sam was going well. He'd even promised me... no. I would not bring myself to say it because I was prude. I laughed at myself for not saying it but I was proud that I could discuss it in front of Sam. He just laughed if I mentioned the word 'condom' because I sounded like an idiot when I said it.

I mean, I loved him and he meant a lot, but he was the one that always pulled away when I started to tug at his shirt or slide my hand in a place he was uncomfortable with. Finally, he'd agreed to it when I had my cast taken off.

My mom came to visit, but she didn't seem too pleased with the fact I was staying with Sam; a person she barely knew but at the end of the day, I knew him. My brother came to visit a few times but he was usually too busy at University to bother with me. Sam told me not to bother with him, he was a dick anyway.

When Sam drove me to get my cast taken off, mom was constantly texting me. After a while, I ignored the texts, knowing she'd yell at me for not telling her where I'd been every 5 minutes. I cut her some slack; I mean she was conscious about me being with Sam all the time but she always nagged me about how long I was taking or where I was.

Mom never experienced such an intense relationship that I'd had before and I think that was what was partially to blame but still; I am 17 and can make my own decisions for myself.

Sam parked outside the hospital, grabbed a parking ticket and helped me inside. We didn't have to wait long; I guess it was going to be over quickly and they wanted to get more people in with the more 'serious' injuries.

The nurse took us into and small room just off the left-hand side of the corridor and sat me down on the bed. She cut the side of the cast and pulled it away.

Wow, it had healed quickly. There was not a single bruise or scratch on my leg and it looked as good as new.

'You should be fine from now on but if there are any problems, just come in and tell us; we should be able sort it out quickly.' The nurse said, taking the cast ready to throw it away.

I nodded and we left. Now that I could walk properly, Sam needn't have dragged me to the car under his arm. I smiled at him and we drove home.

When Sam pulled into the driveway, I noticed mom was out... again. My brother's car was parked on the drive so I knew he was in but there was not a hope in hell I would go into the house again.

Sam locked the car and ran after me, grabbing my hand and pulling me faster towards the front door.

'Whoa, what's the rush?' I asked. I should've stopped and stood still but I knew exactly why he was being like this. He turned and smiled at me and he pulled me even faster towards the door. Sam was so jumpy he found it hard to get the key in the door. When it turned, he opened it and grabbed me and pulled me towards the stairs. My heart was racing fast and I could barely breathe. I could sense it in Sam too; his breath loud and fast.

When I got closer to the door, my heart pounded faster and I stopped breathing altogether. Why so paranoid?

'Okay?' Sam asked me and all I could do was nod. He clutched my wrist and pulled me into the bedroom and slammed the door shut.

_If mom heard us I don't know what I'd do..._

He was the one to yank at my shirt this time as he kissed me. He kissed me like he hadn't done it in ages but each time was magical. He pressed me up against the wall and slid his hands down to my waist. I curled my fingers around his neck and kissed him harder. We only pulled away for a moment when I stared into his eyes. I laughed.

'Sam?'

'Yeah?'

'You know what you promised ages ago we'd do when I had my cast off?'

'Yeah?'

'Well, can we do it now?'

'Fuck yes.'

And with that... well... you kinda get the idea.

**Later**

I woke up next to Sam who was still snoring slightly, but he'd managed to pull his boxers on. I crawled out of bed and looked out of the window. It was late; it looked like we'd been asleep for ages. I took my phone from the bedside table and looked at it.

6:00am.

I walked sleepily to the bathroom and went to shower. After a hot shower, I came back into the bedroom to see Sam already dressed and combing his hair. _Was I really in for that long?_

He didn't say anything to me and instead just smiled, pulling me closer to him to kiss my wet hair. We both looked at each other's reflection and smiled.

_I love this kid and I'm fucking happy for once. HE is the answer._


	10. Stay Away

'Breakfast!' Sam called, breaking the silence and pulling away. He ran downstairs and shouted after me. I followed his calls and walked into the kitchen. The sudden waft of a full breakfast filled my nose and made me go insane. On the table in front of me were eggs, sausage, bacon, beans, mushroom and toast. Someone else was sat at the table too.

'Oli, meet Annabelle. Annabelle, meet Oli.' Sam said, as Oli got up from the table to high five me. He was tall, taller than Sam and very thin. He was wearing one of his own Drop Dead vest tops and a pair of skinnies. He had tattoos on every inch of his body, from his legs to his neck. I smiled at him and said hi as he sat back down.

I turned to Sam, 'did you do all of this?'

'Well, yeah. I got up earlier so I could let Oli in and cook you breakfast. Oli did some of it but I'm gonna take credit for most.' Sam smiled and laughed at Oli, who did his best impression of an annoyed younger brother.

'Thanks guys. Both of you,' I said. I sat down opposite Oli and Sam who were basically joined at the hip.

'So, you're the girl that Sam's been obsessing over for the past 6 months then, eh?' Oli asked with a mouthful of vegetarian sausage in his mouth. Maybe the sight of all this meat on the table wasn't affecting him but sure felt uncomfortable.

I blushed and continued to cut up my bacon like a 4 year old. 'Yeah. He's been obsessing over me, has he?'

I looked at Sam who smiled and looked back at Oli who snorted and shoved another mouthful of toast in his mouth. 'You could say that.'

We carried on talking about how Oli started his clothing line, why he was veggie and his band, Bring Me the Horizon. When we finished, I tried to convince Sam and Oli to let me help clear up but they weren't having any of it.

I sat on the sofa watching last night's repeat of MTV Cribs when there was a knock at the door. Okay, it was more of a thunderous slam but you get the idea. I jumped at the sound and muted the TV instantly. Something I always did when dad used to come home from getting high and drink to make it look like I wasn't up at the time of about 2:00am.

Sam and Oli ran into the living room and looked out of the bay window. Both of them froze and looked at each other.

'Who the fuck is that?' Oli asked, looking back out of the window to check the guy wasn't kicking the door down.

'I have no idea but he'd better go away before I'm the one smacking his door down.' Sam replied. I got up from the sofa and walked up to the boys, grabbing Sam's arm then squeezing his hand. I pushed my way between their bodies and stared out of the window.

_Oh shit no... please no. Not now._

I clutched Sam's hand and pulled on Oli's shirt.

'Sam... it's... Oh god, Sam. Let him in or he'll kill you; no exaggeration,' I whispered in his ear.

The man continued to knock down the door, his long, uncut dark brown hair flinging in all directions.

Sam started walking towards the door but I dragged him back.

'No, Sam. He's less likely to kill me than you.'

'How do you know?'

'Because... because... he's my dad.'

Sam pulled my arm back and clutched me like I was going to war or something but I guess it was just shock as I knew who he was.

'No. I'm not going to let you leave. Have you forgotten what he's done to you? Have you forgotten everything you said to me?' Sam said to me. Oli just stood there, clueless and it was better if he didn't know.

'How could I forget?' I retorted. Sam pulled back, hurt, but I never meant it to be like that. I pulled Sam off of me and stormed to the front door.

I was panicking again and I was scared to open it but he'd someone if I didn't; I didn't have a choice. The banging stopped when I unlocked the door and it was like time stood still.

He was much more intimidating when I was standing in front of him. He was of tall build, about 6 foot 4 with big arms, probably strong to break someone's neck like they were just a mere twig. And to be honest, I was absolutely terrified. He stood there, with the smirk on his face and the predatory atmosphere that he dragged behind him.

'Hello, Annabelle,' he sneered, 'I want to talk to you.'

'I don't want to talk to you. How did you find me?'

'You're not so little anymore, Annabelle, and you weren't hard to find. I have my sources.'

'You mean your group of thugs who stalk people to find things out?'

I found it hard to believe I could confidently make the sarcastic remarks because otherwise he'd hit me but he didn't even make an attempt to hit me or even move away from his spot.

'Well, that too but it doesn't matter now.' He replied, staring me straight in the eyes; they were black and had no sign of any recognition or remorse. Wait, they were dilated... _drugs._

'What do you want?' I asked, stepping back so I was a bit further away from him.

'To finish what I started a long time ago.' He replied.

I stood there, confused at his words. Sam and Oli had joined us in the hallway behind me and dad turned to look at them.

He gave them one last evil smirk then pulled out a knife and lunged for me, nearly tripping over the threshold. The next thing I felt was blood dripping from my hand and my arm and Sam and Oli struggling to keep him off me.

He then lunged for Oli's neck after he tried to pull his arm away and slashed his neck.


	11. On the Run

Oli stumbled but caught he balance. Luckily, it was only a light cut so it didn't do him any harm. He put his hand to his neck and saw the blood trickling down his neck.

'Oh no you don't,' Oli sneered, wiping the gash, 'you're gonna fuck up my tattoos by cutting me.'

Oli lunged for my dad, determined to disarm him and grabbed his hand just before he dug it into my chest. My dad had his arm pressed against my neck and the only thing behind me was the stairs. Sam tried to pull his arm away but every time he tried to pull him away, he was only choking me harder. His massive hand gripped my shoulder and was slowly squeezing harder and harder. I tried to ignore the pain but it was just too much. the blood leaked from my arm faster now and it fucking hurt.

'Get off me!' I whimpered, trying to get him off me. He was having none of it. I knew that I needed to call someone so I mouthed to Sam 'police' when dad wasn't looking.

Sam nodded and ran into the kitchen, leaving Oli and me with him. Oli still had hold of my dad's hand and bent it back so he had no option but to drop the knife if he wanted the pain to stop. Finally, the grip on my throat had loosened and I managed to wriggle free. It looked so ironic, seeing Oli hurting my dad when he looked tiny compared to the massive body he had in his control.

I stood there, shocked and unable to move. My breathing was getting heavier by the second when Sam came back in.

'Get off him now or I swear I'll do something I'll regret!' Sam yelled at my dad, who'd grabbed Oli by the neck and was nearly choking him to death.

'What are you gonna do, short ass?' my dad spat back.

_Disgusting._

'I'm gonna have to get you with this,' Sam pulled out a kitchen knife, 'and it's gonna have to be self defence.'

I ran to Sam and lowered the knife, 'Sam please don't. Please, please, don't do it because I don't care how much of an idiot he is, I... just don't.'

Sam looked at me, my eyes filling with tears. He kissed me and then turned back to my dad who was still trying to strangle Oli. Oli resisted though, his strength was nothing compared to Oli's; for a skinny guy, he was _strong._

It seemed like ages before the police arrived and Sam had called the ambulance too. Paramedics nursed both Oli's and my wounds, and checked us all over to check if we were okay. Unfortunately, dad had fled before he could've been caught. He'd dropped Oli and pushed past us to escape through the back door and out to wherever he was going to skulk off to.

'Are you okay?' Sam asked as he joined me on the stairs after being checked over in the living room. He had a blanket and wrapped it around my shoulders. He leaned in closer and he opened his arms and I embraced him gladly.

Oli had finished being checked and he came to join us by the stairs. He clapped Sam on the back and leaned on the banister.

'You guys okay?' he asked.

'We should be asking you the same question. Jesus, Oli, he cut your throat.' I replied, getting up and looking at his neck. There was a bandage on his neck about the size of my hand stuck on his neck and there was a bit of blood seeping through to show. I winced.

'You okay?' I asked him.

'I'm fine,' He smiled and then gave Sam a hug. 'Guys I'm gonna go. My girlfriend's gonna think we've got into a fight or something.'

'This was my entire fault. I should never have let him in...' I whispered to myself but it was obviously loud enough for the boys to hear.

'Hey,' Oli said, putting his hand on my shoulder. I grimaced at Oli who suddenly remembered that my shoulder blade had nearly been crushed and loosened his grip, 'this is not your fault. You said yourself he would've kicked the door down anyway.'

'Yeah, you did me another favour by keeping my front door intact.' Sam said. We both smiled at the first time I'd met him when I'd scared him and he dropped the box he was holding. Turned out to be a china set he wanted to get rid of anyway so I was actually doing him a favour.

'Okay, I'm gonna leave. I'll speak to you guys later.' Oli said filling the silence and he walked past the paramedics and officers, out the door and climbed into his car.

I looked at Sam and he smiled awkwardly at me. I hung my head and looked at the floor. His hand slid down my arm and clutched my hand. Then he leaned down and whispered in my ear.

'I love you.'

I turned my head and kissed him. The policed officers who were looking at the blood stained floor marched over to us and got out their notepads. The first guy was tall and large, with short blonde hair and glasses. The second one was shorter, a lot shorter, and was skinny with longer black hair. He was younger than the other one but looked like he'd been an officer for a lot longer.

'Annabelle Pierce? May we ask you some questions?' the tall one said, looking down at his pad.

'Y—yeah,' I stuttered. 'But can we sit down first please?'

Both officers nodded and Sam led them into the living room and they stood opposite us as we had down on the sofa. I looked up at them and they got ready to start talking.

'Okay Annabelle, what was your relation to that man?'

'He was my father.'

'And when was the last time you saw him, not including this time?'

'About 6 years ago.'

'Why have you not seen him in six years?'

'Because he was sent to prison... for—' _don't hesitate. _'For abusing my mom, brother and me and the last I heard was that he escaped. I never knew he would be anywhere near me.'

'Do you know where he's likely to be now?'

'I don't know. I didn't even know he was here. Today was the first I'd ever seen of him.'

'Okay, Annabelle. Thank you. We'll just be over next door to ask your mother and brother questions.'

I nodded and then they left. Just like that. They walked out of the house, behind the paramedics who'd packed up and left. I looked at Sam and just broke down into tears.

_This was the worst day ever._

'It's gonna be okay, Anna. They're gonna find him and they're gonna lock him up.' Sam assured me, the anger rising in his voice. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my hair which was still damp after I'd not bothered to dry it. he held for a long time and I'd lost track. It seems like hours but I knew it had been only minutes.

And I concluded to myself that until my dad had been caught, every day I'd be fighting for survival.


	12. Nothing Good Has Happened Yet

I pulled away from Sam and he looked at me, teary eyed.

'I don't wanna lose you.' Sam said.

'You won't,' I said to him, 'why would you?'

'Because he knows where you are now and he could come back anytime.'

He took his hands in mine and turned to me, 'he won't because I won't let you. Ever. I'll never ever let you fall to him.'

Somehow, his words were convincing me and I seemed to come to accept them.

'Sam?'

'Mm?'

'Why did you really say it's safer to hate me?'

Sam looked at me and sighed, 'because it would've been safer to hate you that you love you and lose you.'

I laughed, 'a You Me at Six quote then?'

'Pretty much and I know it's only a song but I went by it. But I just couldn't hate you.'

'You know I'm never gonna leave you, Sam. You can't think like that.'

'I told you, I'm a pessimist.'

'Well, two negatives make a positive, Sam. And we're both negative.'

He laughed at my terrible corny line and kissed me.

'Oh get a room you disgusting people.'

My dad was standing in the doorway with a knife and looking like he'd cleaned himself up a bit. I pulled away from Sam quickly to face dad.

'What the hell are you doing here?' I hissed, walking toward him slightly. Sam grabbed my arm to stop me from attacking him. My dad would kill me, no hesitation.

'Like I said, Annabelle; I've come to finish what I started and I won't stop until I get it.' He laughed and ran the blade across the palm of his hand, drawing blood and he didn't even flinch.

Then he came at me with the knife held up in his hand and tried to stab me. Thank god Sam was alert; he pulled me back and dragged me out of the front door before any more damage could be done.

'GET BACK HERE!' my dad's voice, hard and cold and fierce echoed through my head and shook me to the core. We both scrambled to get to my house, tripping and falling over on the way.

'Help!' I screamed as we approached the door. I started banging on the door, my fist throbbing from the pain but it only made me bang harder. Sam joined in and kept looking back.

When I turned back, I froze. Looking at my dad running towards me sparked a memory in me when he chased me down the hallway in our old house to beat me up.

And now, seeing him do it again the lawn freaked me out. He looked like something out of a horror movie and it only made me slam against the door harder.

'Help, he's here! Please!' I screamed at the door. Oliver looked out of the bay window. I pointed over to where my dad was and his eyes widened with panic. He disappeared from view and opened the door to us.

Sam and I ran inside and tried to catch our breath before telling them that my dad had become even more of a rampaging lunatic who was trying to kill us. The police officers spoke through their handsets and ordered back-up and the armed unit before assisting both of us to sit down and calm down.

I grabbed onto Sam who was shaking himself; poor guy. He'd never experienced something like this before and I had subjected him to it. I touched his shoulder and he pulled me into a hug.

'Let me in your motherfucking bitches!' my dad shouted from the other side of the door. There was nothing else I could do but curl up into Sam and cry, hoping he would go away.

I started breathing again when I heard police cars from outside. The police officers opened the door when they thought it was safe but it wasn't. My dad stormed in and cut both of their throats. My mom screamed and my brother tried to fend him off but he knocked them both out.

I got to my feet and started backing away when my dad approached us.

'Dad, please don't do this. You don't have to do this... to be this monster. Please, just leave us alone!' I screamed in between cries.

'No. I won't stop until you're dead. I promised myself after your mother divorced me that I would get her back and this is what I'm going to do—'

'PUT YOUR WEAPON DOWN!' I heard the police cry from outside, ready to come in and arrest him. Dad swung round and started full-on attacking them, pulling off moves only a trained assassin could do.

_Was that was he'd been doing for the past 6 years? An assassin?_

I cried out in fear and Sam picked me up, taking me out of the house and into the back garden. I wriggled free of him and started to run back inside.

'What are you doing?' Sam asked, shocked.

'I can't leave my mom and brother in there! My dad will kill them!' I replied, running back inside. Sam followed me and we dragged both their unconscious bodies outside.

There was no sign of dad which meant he'd either been arrested or had gotten away again.

Looked like it was option 2.

When I returned inside the house to check if it was safe 10 minutes later, there was no sign of him whatsoever and there were blood-stained bodies everywhere.

'We have to leave.' My mom said, from behind me. she'd regained consciousness and put her hand on my shoulder.

_I was always prepared for those words._


	13. Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

'We can't leave!' I protested. I was shaking; never a good sign. Mom stood in front of me ignoring the police officers standing on the lawn and flooding into the house. She was shaking too, but it wasn't as obvious as mine.

Sam and Oliver came in through the back door and gave us both awkward smiles. I turned back to mom, determined to convince her to let us stay.

'Mom, please,' I said, keeping my voice on a down-low, 'I don't want to leave. I feel like I can fit in here, like it'll work out.'

'You mean you don't want to leave Sam.'

I blushed. My mother knew me so well, she could tell anything by the expressions and what I said.

'No, I don't mom,' I continued, 'because if we move, then we have to leave everyone behind and I don't want to do that anymore. I'm fed up of running.'

She just shook her head, 'we've been doing this for nearly 6 years and you're complaining now? You never used to.'

'Because I've finally found a place where I belong: here with Sam and I'm not gonna let dad fuck up my life again.

Mom's hurt turned to anger and her eyes narrowed.

'I'm only looking out for you and all you do is throw it back in my face! You're so ungrateful, Annabelle!' she yelled and surprisingly, Oliver didn't join in.

Mom lowered her voice and started speaking again, 'but I can't force you to leave. You're old enough now to make your own decisions but let me tell you this: you have 24 hours to make your decision whether you stay or go. It's up to you. We're off out.'

She turned to Oliver who looked confused.

'We are?' he asked. Mom nodded, walked over, grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him out of the door like a 7 year old.

I was left with Sam in the house. I overheard an officer confirming "they'd do the best they could to find him". I knew it wouldn't be the case come a couple of months. They may find him but he'd just escape anyway.

I looked at Sam. 'Let's go.'

'Where?' he asked.

I grabbed my keys from the hallway table then turned to Sam again. 'I don't know, Sam. Wherever. But the longer we stay here the more vulnerable we become.'

Sam nodded and followed me out of the door. I locked the house us and walked over to my crappy little red Nissan Micra.

I slid into the driver's seat and Sam joined me in the passenger seat.

I started the car and reversed off of the drive. Before I pulled out to go down the road, Sam leaned in and kissed me.

'It's gonna be okay,' he whispered. My hands clutched the steering wheel so hard my knuckles went white.

He moved back and put his seatbelt on.

'Do you actually know where you're going?' Sam asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Well, it wasn't working, no matter how hard he tried.

'I was thinking of Costa, but do you have any better suggestions?' I replied.

'Yes I do. Want me to drive?'

**An hour later**

Sam pulled up outside the Bristol O2 Academy and I stared out of the window. He went and parked in the multi-storey car park and paid for the ticket. God knows how long we were gonna be but Sam put in a good 4 hours worth of money. Then, we made our way down to the venue.

There was a massive line building up outside, full of both guys and girls wearing mostly band t-shirts. There was a lot of unrest which I could sense; people who obviously desperate to get in. There were two different lines for the people who'd already paid and the people who were paying at the door.

Sam pushed us to the front of the queues, some guys giving us dirty looks.

'Hey, Sam.' A woman said, dressed in blue and standing tall against us both.

'Hey Alice, how's it going? He replied, letting himself get searched.

'Ah, same old, same old,' She said, coming back up from checking his pockets. 'Turn around.'

Sam did as he was told and then she pointed inside the venue.

'Just in there and on the right. Matt's on backstage patrol so he'll let you in, no problem.'

Sam nodded and pulled me in, pushing past the people who were already filling up the venue.

It was already filled up with kids trying to push their way to the front of the stage.

Sam took my hand and led me towards the backstage area where a man, dressed in the same as Alice, waved when he saw Sam. When we approached him, he waved us in and led us to the dressing rooms.

'Okay, mate. I'll see you later.' He shouted to us as he ran back to where he was positioned.

'Do you know _everyone_?' I asked, staring after the other guy.

'Hey, I'm in a band. I know a lot of people,' he replied, opening one of the doors, 'he's done a lot for me. Organised loads of gigs for us.'

'"Us" being your band, I suppose.' I said as I peered through the door. When I saw who it was, I smiled.

'Hey guys, long time no see.'

Oli stood with a can of cold beer and smiled at us.


	14. Lost in Stereo

'Hey, Oli,' I said walking over to him. He offered me a beer and I instantly took it.

'Came to see us live then?' he asked. I raised an eyebrow.

'Actually,' I said, taking a sip of my beer. God, that tasted good. 'Sam brought me here. There's been some... issues and I wanted to go somewhere so he took me here. So, you guys are playing?'

'Yeah, we're only a support but kids have been flooding in, talking about us. I mingle with the crowd.' Oli winked at me and I laughed.

'Thought you had a girlfriend.'

'I do. Ah, there she is.'

A girl with long, black, wavy hair and tattoos in a Bring Me the Horizon t-shirt and skinnies was standing in the doorway. She ran over to Oli and hugged him tight. When she turned around, she smiled at me and swung her hand whilst holding Oli. I think she was hyper.

'Hey, who's this?' she asked, nearly bouncing up and down.

'This is Annabelle, Sam's girlfriend. Annabelle, this is Amanda.' Oli introduced us and I reached out my hand. She laughed and pulled me into a hug. Oli stood behind her, raised an eyebrow and mouthed 'mad' at me. I sniggered and when I pulled away, she giggled and ran back to Oli.

'Where's Sam?' I asked, looking behind me to see where he went.

'I'm out here!' he shouted from the corridor. I walked out to see him on his phone... again.

'What ya doin'? I asked him, playfully stealing his phone. I looked at his screen and laughed. 'Solitaire? Seriously?'

'Shut up.' He replied, snatching it back from me.

'Guys, it's nearly time for us to go on so get your asses out to the stage!' Oli shouted from inside. We did as we were told and made our way to the stage. Now it had filled up right to the back, kids eager and going hyper. I admit it, I was excited myself.

Sam and I stood near the front of the stage and kids were pushing us toward the front, nearly getting squashed between the barriers. The lights dimmed down and Oli's band flooded on the stage, getting an eruption of cheers.

The vibe I got when they played was amazing. The bass and drum beats covered the floor and thumped, moving the ground. Oli's screaming rang through my ears and I went hyper. It was hard for Sam to control me but it was something I really needed.

I forgot about everything that night and I did what I wanted for once in my life. No mom, no brother, no dad, no rules, nothing. Sam had to carry me into the house when we got back; he was the more sober one of both of us but he too was knackered. I'd had a bit too much to drink with Oli's girlfriend and we'd both lost it. Oli was tipsy but both he and Sam were laughing at our stupid comments and how neither I nor Amanda could walk in a straight line.

I collapsed on the bed and curled up on the blanket that was thrown on the bed. Sam sighed and tried to convince me to get in the shower but it wasn't happening.

'I'm sleeping in the spare room then if you're not gonna shower. You went insane tonight and you stink of beer, you skank.' He laughed. I tried to punch him but my arm went numb and just went limp when I tried to lift it.

'I need more music...' I mumbled to Sam who was already sifting through the drawers to find some pyjamas for me. 'All mine are in the wash.'

Sam glared at me and then went over to his wardrobe. He pulled out an old t-shirt and threw it on my head.

'Put that on, and don't complain.' He said, walking down the hallway to the bathroom.

I took off my shirt and trousers and pulled the t-shirt over my head. It sagged just above my knees and I groaned.

'It's too big.' I called to Sam who moaned loudly and came out of the bathroom, toothbrush in mouth.

'It's too big.' I repeated again a bit more quietly but Sam just shook his head.

'What did I tell you about complaining? It's gonna be big, it's mine and I'm bigger than you, fuckwit.' He replied, yanking at my shirt.

'I love you so much,' I said sarcastically. It didn't matter how drunk I was, I still had my ability to speak fluent sarcasm. Sam smirked and kissed me on the forehead,

'Go to sleep. I'll be up in a minute.' He said and he ran downstairs. He came back up minutes later with 2 glasses of water and some headache tablets obviously for me.

'Down that,' he said handing me the glass and throwing the tablets in. He swirled them around and I down it.

_Vile._

'Don't you have like, anti-depressants you need to take?' Sam asked, shying away like it was rude to ask.

'Yeah,' I mumbled, 'but they can't be taken when I've had alcohol. I need music.'

Sam grabbed his headphones and handed them to me. I flicked through the songs on his iPod and finally settled for one of his own bands covers. I slid under the covers next to Sam who'd changed into a pair of boxers and curled up facing me. It had suddenly gone off chilly, and I shivered a bit.

'Do you want some body heat?' Sam asked. Before I could answer, he'd slid up next to me and wrapped his arms around my body, pushing me into him. I buried my head into his chest and brought my legs up in a foetal position. For some reason I felt warmer when I was like that; no idea why. The volume on the music was quiet and I could hear Sam's breathing over the music.

I cranked up the volume, giving myself a headache and slowly fell asleep to the loud screaming of my boyfriend's voice...


	15. Time to Go

For the first time in a long time I woke up slowly. I yawned and looked around for any signs of movement. God knows what time it was but it definitely looked early. It was still dark and Sam slept with the curtains partially open and the sky was a dark blue colour, no longer black. I lifted my head and sat up and a sudden wave of pain hit me.

_Damn hangovers._

Sam was snoring quietly and I got out of bed, careful not to wake him. He stirred a bit but went back to snoring, leaning on his back. I sneaked out of the room, trying to avoid the creaking floorboards, trying hard to remember where they were. When I reached the staircase, I thought it was safe until a body shuffled over next to me and walked into me.

'Ouch!' I shouted but the body put their hand over my mouth to stop from waking Sam. A wave of fear washed over me, worried that it might've been my dad who'd broken into the house. The figure leaned down and looked at me but I couldn't see anything.

'Annabelle, shush, it's me.'

I sighed, unimpressed. I knew who it was now.

'Oh hey, "me", wanna scare me again?' I said bluntly. He just laughed and turned on the hallway light. He was shirtless but with all his tattoos, it looked like he was wearing a shirt. He was wearing a pair of shorts that looked way too big for him.

'Do not do that again, Oli,' I hissed, starting to make our way downstairs again. 'What are you doing here anyway?'

Oli followed me down the stairs and we walked to the kitchen. He sat down at the counter after he grabbed the jug of cold water from the fridge and pulled himself a glass. I raided the cupboard in search to find some headache tablets because the headache was getting worse.

'Do you know where the medicine is?' I asked Oli who nodded, went to talk but forgot that he was drinking and ended up choking on his water.

'Top... left... cupboard.' He spluttered over the counter between coughs. I leaned over and opened the cupboard and sure enough, they were there. I reached up and grabbed a packet of aspirin and downed two tablets. As Oli recovered from coughing, I started.

'You okay?' he asked after I finished coughing up my guts. I nodded and threw the glass into the sink.

'How come you're here? You weren't here when we got back last night.' I asked sitting opposite him at the counter. Oli hesitated and then coughed, trying to cover something up.

'Well,' he started, shifting in his position so he was on the edge of his seat. 'Me and Amanda... we had a row. And I text Sam, asking if he would let me stay 'cause I live with her and she threw me out. So, when you'd fallen asleep, he went downstairs to let me in.'

'What did you guys row about? If you don't mind me asking.'

'No, it's fine but it was just stupid things, really. She though I cheated, I told her I didn't but she didn't believe me.'

'So you guys are over?'

'I don't know really, but I hope it's not. I've been with her for years. I think we've just fallen out and she didn't scream "it's over!" in my face so that's a start.'

We sat in silence for a bit then Oli frowned at me. I asked him what he was looking at and he shook his head,

'You look a bit... ill. Are you okay?' he asked.

'No I'm fine, just a hangover from last night. My head fucking kills, man.' I replied. He nodded and drank some of his drink again.

Then, Sam walked in the kitchen, running his hands through his hair and yawning.

'Morning. Have you guys actually seen the time?' he said mid-yawn, sliding over to the fridge. I looked at the clock that read 5:30 and then glanced at Oli. When Sam turned around to demand an explanation, both Oli and I pointed at each other and went, 's/he woke me up.'

Sam laughed and poured himself a glass of milk.

'Guys, I'm gonna go back to bed cause otherwise I'll be lagging later and then I'll have even more of a killer headache after.' I said, going to walk out of the door.

Sam pouted. 'Don't I even get a hug or anything?'

I giggled and put my glass down, avoiding banging my hip into the side of the counter and walked over to Sam. He put his glass behind him and wrapped his arms around me. He pressed his lips to mine and lowered his hands around my waist. I kissed him softly, but when I tried to pull away, he just pulled me into him even more.

'I don't want you to go to bed,' he whined. 'You're no fun when you're asleep.'

I kissed him on the nose and pulled away from him, 'I wanna sleep you mean shit. Lemme sleep.'

Sam pouted again but let me go. I hugged Oli and went back up to bed. I slept for a while but for some reason I couldn't fall into a deep sleep and ending up waking at 7:00am. I pulled on Sam's black silk dressing gown I'd stolen from the bathroom and went downstairs to find Oli and Sam watching TV. They'd been up since 5:30 and I still couldn't bring myself to believe after last night how they could stay up. I sat myself on the floor between Sam and Oli who found it funny to kick me in the hips but stopped when I threatened to turn round and slap them in the balls.

We were about to switch over to watch Phineas and Ferb (childish I know) when the doorbell rang.

_Who the hell was knocking at this time of day?_

'Shit, man. What if it's your dad?' Oli said, sceptically going to look out of the window.

'It's not. Trust me, you know what he knocks like and that's definitely not my dad.' I replied, going up confidently to answer the door. My headache started up again and this time I was victim to the pain.

I opened the door this time to see my mom standing in the doorway with her suitcase and looking at me blankly.

'I take it you've decided to stay with your boyfriend then?' she asked, clearly annoyed. I looked out of the door to see my brother packing his car up with things from both home and university with a glare plastered over his face.

_Shit. I'd completely forgotten about that._

Oli appeared in the doorway and smiled at my mom but she was too busy to take any notice of him. Sam appeared next to Oli and looked at me, eyes filled his worry.

'I'm standing by what I said, mom. I'm not leaving Sam and if my dad wants to come and get me, I'll be ready. I'm not leaving Sam, ever.' I said, standing tall. I was glad that I had finally managed to stand up to my mom and explain to her that I was fed up of running from my dad.

She sighed and looked away, 'I thought you were better than this, Annabelle. I thought you'd have more sense and awareness for how dangerous your life is right now. But if you want to stay here then that's fine with me.'

I stared at mom, not making any attempt to show any form of emotion. After all, all my life both my parents and my brother had made my life a misery so why should I feel guilty because they're moving away to be safe and I'm not afraid to face death in the face, even though it was in the form of my father.

Before she turned away to leave me forever, a tear slipped down her cheek and she kissed me, whispered 'goodbye' in my ear. She turned and walked over to to my brother who'd started the car and was already on the road.

Then I started to cry like I'd never cried before. Not like when I'd lost my first pet rabbit, or when one of my toys got broken when I was 3 or even when I was trapped with Sam. I cried and cried, tears streaming down my face at the thought of my mom and brother leaving forever, knowing that at any time I could be faced with my dad. Sam pulled me into a hug and tried to get me to bury my head in his chest but still, I faced the road as my brother pulled off and to drive to wherever they'd start their new life.

Yet, I chose to stay here and live my old life with all the broken memories of my father who actually used to be a decent person believe it or not, but it came with a good outcome too. Sam.

I knew I'd be spending my life worrying about whether the next corner was going to be where my dad was, or one of his 'henchmen'. I knew my depression and anxiety would go overboard but at that moment in time, I really didn't care.

As I watched my mom and brother drive off, I finally down into Sam's arms and stayed there for as long as I felt necessary... which was a very long time.

As we retreated back into the house, I got ready to continue my life without the people who brought me into it.


End file.
